Page 4 of The Hookup Situation
“It’s nothing. Forget I said?—”
“When were you last there?”
I do the math, even though I know the answer. “I visited for a few days in January and ended up cutting it short.”
“Why?”
“A huge contract came in, so I traveled back to the city. It was abrupt.” I spin the teacup on its saucer.
“What really happened?” she asks.
A sigh escapes me. “Shit got too real.”
She takes a sip of her tea. “I’ll schedule a private plane to take you there. I’ll have everything booked for you within the hour.”
“Lauren, please.”
She lifts her hand. “No. I asked you where you’d go, and that was your answer. So, that’s where you’re going. Call Zane. Let him know.”
“Lauren!”
With that motherly expression on her face, she glares at me. “You’ve been punishing yourself for far too long. I think you walk out of meetings about human connection because you’ve convinced yourself you don’t deserve any.”
I open my mouth, but she doesn’t let me speak.
“I’m not done.” She returns to my desk and places her palms flat against the cool wood. “This isn’t a vacation. It’s a lifeline. If you don’t go where your heart leads you, you’ll become what you’re afraid of being—a hollow asshole, just like your dad, who forgot how to be human.”
Her words are a slap to the face.
“What if I go to Cozy Creek and come back in November and nothing has changed? Then what?”
“It’s a possibility. But also, what if you go and remember who you are?” She straightens up. “You areNicolas Banks. That means something. You’re the happy-go-lucky guy who loves ice skating, skiing, baseball, and bonfires. You never miss an opportunity to tell a joke. You’re not like your brothers and sister, Nick. You grew up differently from the other Banks kids, and somewhere along the way, you lost your true self. It’s time to find you again. And your relationships, honey? Don’t get me started on those.”
“Thank you for that last little cherry on top,” I say sarcastically.
She heads for the door, pausing at the handle. “Go to Cozy Creek, Nick. If not for yourself, then for Eden.” She gestures at me, at the office, at everything. “She wouldn’t want this to be your life.”
“How do you know that?”
Lauren grins wider. “Because she told me that no matter what, she never wantedyouto become a cunty cliché like the rest of theBanks family. Asher, on the other hand, there was never any hope for him.”
I burst into laughter as the door closes with a soft click.
I sit there, tea growing cold, and realize I’m smiling.
I guess I’m going back to Cozy Creek. And for the first time in years, I’m excited.
2
JULIE
The Tuesday morning rush hits Cozy Coffee like a caffeinated hurricane. I’m in my element as I move like a bartender behind the counter. Steam hisses from the espresso machine while I pull two shots at once. The smell of cinnamon and freshly ground beans wraps around me like the quilt my grandmother made me when I was a kid.
“One maple latte, extra hot, for Mrs. Henderson.” I slide the cup across the reclaimed wood counter, already starting on the next order. “Tom, your usual black coffee’s ready. Yes, I put it in a to-go cup even though we both know you’re staying until eleven.”
He’s an older gentleman with bright blue eyes, a perfect smile, and a white handlebar mustache. I shoot him a wink. Tom grins and plops down in his favorite armchair by the window. When he crosses his legs, I see he’s wearing his favorite boots that have been through some shit.
“You know,” he says in his thick Southern drawl, “I have a few sons your age.”
